ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, June 15, 1996 TAG: 9606180027
SECTION: NATL/INTL VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
The pastors of the mainly black churches that have been burned across the South are being invited to a summit by the conservative Christian Coalition.
``We believe that it's absolutely imperative to send a strong and substantive message that the color barrier that once divided Christians has been shattered,'' said Ralph Reed, executive director of the Christian Coalition, from San Francisco on Friday.
``White evangelicals will stand shoulder to shoulder with their black brothers and sisters to combat these senseless acts of racial hatred,'' he said.
The Rev. Terrance Mackey, pastor of Mount Zion AME Church in Greeleyville, S.C., said he was unaware of the summit but welcomed the gesture. Thursday, the congregation's old church was destroyed by fire. ``We as Christians do not allow the color of the skin to affect the way we treat someone. Regardless of what church you're burning down, we are going to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Christian brothers and sisters.''
The Rev. Joseph Lowery, president of the Atlanta-based Southern Christian Leadership Conference, rejected the gesture by the Christian Coalition, labeling it exploitation.
``They are trying to exploit the situation. If the Christian Coalition is serious about helping black church people, a more effective way is to fight the extremist climate that has precipitated from groups like theirs,'' Lowery said.
``These fires are not occurring in a vacuum. They are occurring in a climate of anti-black, anti-welfare, anti-gay,'' he said. ``A more effective means of fighting the church fires is for extremists to tone down their rhetoric and join in the fight for racial justice.''
Reed could not be reached for comment on Lowery's reaction late Friday.
The summit, scheduled for Tuesday in Atlanta, will address the needs of the black congregations and what white congregations can do to help.
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